The state of water quality in Nairobi River, Kenya

Mbui, Damaris; Chebet, Emily; Kamau, Geoffrey N.; Kibet, Joshua K.

doi:10.5958/0974-4150.2016.00078.x

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Values for TDS in the samples were generally below the recommended limit of 1200 mg/l in the standards for irrigation water, which confirms findings by Mbui et al (2017). Higher TDS value in the raw influent (1582) could be associated with leachate resulting from solid waste disposal into the Nairobi River.…”

Section: Results Treated Effluent Discharge Point Upstream and Downstream Nairobi River And Raw Influent Samples Analysed For Total Colifsupporting

confidence: 79%

The quality of the Treated effluent, Raw Influent and Wastewater-polluted Water sources Used for Irrigation of Vegetables in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Nairobi County, Kenya

Rono¹,

Gweyi-Onyango²

2021

IJSRP

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Nearly half of the wastewater generated in Nairobi ended up treated in the treatment facilities. However, cases of irrigating vegetables with raw influent and untreated wastewater water by urban and peri-urban farmers in Nairobi have been noted. Despite the importance of wastewater in in Kenya's urban and peri-urban agriculture, information on the quality of water used for irrigation areas is lacking. This study sought to establish physicochemical and microbiological composition of water used for irrigating vegetables in Ruai ward, Nairobi County, Kenya. A preliminary survey was conducted to identify sources of water used for irrigation. Sources of water used for irrigation were then categorized into the treated effluent, raw influent and wastewaterpolluted water sources. From these sources sampling points were randomly selected and georeferenced. Parameters investigated for physicochemical characteristics are total dissolved solids (TDS), aluminium (Al), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb). Microbiological organisms determined in the samples are total coliforms and Escherichia coli. Concentration of TDS was determined using evaporation method, while Al, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn and Pb concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. Total coliforms and E. coli were determined through inoculation. The results revealed TDS were generally within the recommended level (1200 mg/l), except the raw influent, which recorded 1582 mg/l. Range in Al, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu and Zn was 2.8 -13 mg/l, 3.6 -4.2 mg/l, 1.2 -5.0 mg/l, 3.2 -5 mg/l, 0.4 -5.0 mg/l, 0.4 -6.8 mg/l, respectively. Lead with a concentration of 6.8 mg/l was detected only in the treated effluent sample. Recommended concentrations of Al, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn and Pb are 5, 0.5, 1.5, 0.1, 0.05, 2 and 5 mg/l, respectively. It was further observed total coliforms and Escherichia coli in the samples exceeded recommended concentrations of <1000 minimum probable number per litre (< 1000 MPN/l) and nil/ 100 ml, respectively. The results showed that most of parameters measured exceeded the recommended water quality limits. Therefore, the wastewater cannot for crop irrigation.

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Section: Results Treated Effluent Discharge Point Upstream and Downstream Nairobi River And Raw Influent Samples Analysed For Total Colifsupporting

confidence: 79%

The quality of the Treated effluent, Raw Influent and Wastewater-polluted Water sources Used for Irrigation of Vegetables in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Nairobi County, Kenya

Rono¹,

Gweyi-Onyango²

2021

IJSRP

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“…ater shortage is a big global problem that has serious consequences for the environment and human health, of which the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years (Wakhungu, 2019;Zhang et al, 2015). Over one-tenth that is 2.5 billion people worldwide rely on the low-quality drinking water sources (Nadir et al, 2020;Organization, 2008), and of which about 42% of the sub-Saharan regions in Africa have inadequate safe drinking water and 47% in the globe will face water shortage challenge by 2030 (Mbui et al, 2016). Moreover, in the regions of arid and semi-arid, water-scarce has been experiential to rise to a higher level (Ndunda et al, 2013) also water supply-demand is said to exceed by 40% global and 50% in the developing countries (Chellaney, 2013;Wakhungu, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Analysis of Wastewater Treatment System Efficiencies in Kenya: A Review Paper

Kilingo¹,

Bernard²,

–bin³

2021

IJSRP

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This study review focused on indicating wastewater treatment technologies used in Kenya and determine the most feasible and effective treatment method that can be applied in slum areas. This systematic literature review showed that the most commonly used treatment method in Kenya is the use of single or combined constructed wetland, stabilization ponds coupled with constructed wetland, stabilization pond with aerated lagoons, and also conventional wastewater treatment systems. However, the conventional method is costly and requires high implementation, maintenance and operation. Yet, most of the final effluents of the treatment system do not meet the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) standards hence posing a threat to the environment and human life. Found that most of the wastewater treatment plants were not effective in removing the nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) to the required standards. Ruai and Kariobangi treatment plants had a removal efficiency of pollutants at an average level of 82% and 48%, 71% and 51%, 72% and 68%, -7% and 15% for BOD, COD, TSS, and NO 3respectively, and in Ruai and Kariobangi treatment plants respectively. While for waste stabilization pond (WSP) coupled with HF-CW at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) campus, 91%, 76%, 91%, 50%, 21% for BOD, COD, TSS, NH 4 -N, and T-P respectively and removal efficiencies obtained from a game resort constructed wetland and a hybrid wetland with the horizontal flow and free water surface, 78.5% BOD, 86% COD, 75% TSS and 41% NH4-N, 21.4% T-P, 96.2% BOD, 84.5% TSS, 97.6% COD, 99.9% E. coli and faecal coliform respectively. Generally, constructed wetland coupled with other methods had high pollutant removal compared to other methods. Therefore, this study reviewed the efficiency and feasibility of wastewater treatment methods used in Kenya and hence suggests an affordable treatment system to be used in the slum regions to curb the water scarcity challenge. Low operational cost and implementation, maintenance and simplified operation, and high-quality end effluents favor constructed wetland suitable for use in slum areas and developing countries in general for treating domestic wastewater. For the residents to have access to sufficient and sustainable sanitation, as well as clean water for irrigation and domestic use, attributable to constructed wetland systems.

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“…Water quality monitoring for urban dwellings is a necessity considering that such environments are considered as being contaminous to drinking water as reported by [6,7,8]. This is partly due to the fact that drinking water is vulnerable to waste discharges [9,10] hence its safety against pollution is needed at all times [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Quality Index for Assessment of Potability of Groundwater Resource in Langata Sub County, Nairobi-Kenya

Ochungo¹,

Ouma²,

Obiero³

et al. 2019

AJWR

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Water Quality Index (WQI) computation method based on quality parameters' selection, assigning of weights, creation of sub-indices and calculation of the aggregated quality value has been used for many decades from the early 1960s to check on the pollution stati of watersheds. Today, due to rising water demand in the face of increased drought induced water shortage challenges and rampant pollution of the water sources, consumers augment their needs by using groundwater resources like in the case of Langata sub County in Nairobi city-Kenya. Little however, has been done to assess the overall potability of groundwater quality here. Accordingly, in the present study, a Water Quality Index (WQI) was developed by Weight Arithmetic Water Quality Index (WAWQI) method to fill that identified gap using a five categories' grading scale, viz. excellent (A), very good (B), good (C), fairly good (D), suitable (E) and unsuitable (F). To realize this, chemical parameters' concentration ranges were defined on the basis of the Kenyan Standards (KS) and International Standards of World Health Organization (WHO).Subsequently, a total of eight chemical parameters were selected based on their level of occurrence in borehole commissioning data obtained from Water Resource Management Authority's database of the area viz; K+, Na+, Ca2+, Fe2+, F-, Cl-, SO4-2 and Ec (µS/cm). Out of a total of 137 boreholes, only 39 had complete eight chemical parameters. These 39 boreholes' water quality assessment is taken in this study as a true representation of the entire area's groundwater quality. The individual concentrations were spatially plotted using Surfer Software's digital terrain model (DTM) which produced contoured maps in different chroma saturations including the overall aggregated concentration to facilitate scale ranking. The WQI for the study area is 53.18 in a scale of 1 to 100, with one being excellent. In this case, the groundwater quality was ranked as grade 'C'. WQI calculation method is known to improve the understanding of water quality issues by integrating a suite of data into a single value which describes the status of water quality. WQI is very useful for the water management authorities because it facilitates their informing of the public on water quality in a simplified form.

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The state of water quality in Nairobi River, Kenya

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

The quality of the Treated effluent, Raw Influent and Wastewater-polluted Water sources Used for Irrigation of Vegetables in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Nairobi County, Kenya

The quality of the Treated effluent, Raw Influent and Wastewater-polluted Water sources Used for Irrigation of Vegetables in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Nairobi County, Kenya

The Analysis of Wastewater Treatment System Efficiencies in Kenya: A Review Paper

Water Quality Index for Assessment of Potability of Groundwater Resource in Langata Sub County, Nairobi-Kenya

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